Defence whitepaper to review priorities through to 2030

Delivering on a key election promise, the federal government today announced it has commissioned a new defence whitepaper.

It is the first appraisal of Australia's defence capability since the year 2000 when the previous government issued a whitepaper for the first time in decades.

The whitepaper will assess Australia's ICT capabilities as well as the issue of skills shortages which is continuing to have a serious impact on Department of Defence staffing.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has spent $3.8 billion since 2001 trying to boost recruitment and retention through a range of new initiatives.

ICT skills are in serious shortage which is why the ADF will spend $215 million in training and support over the next decade.

The department will need 12,000 new employees during this time with 25 percent coming from an engineering background.

Last year the department spent more than $300 million on research and development to nurture innovation, this will continue and be supported by a closer working relationship with universities and industry.

Last year the government committed $82 million to the Defence Materials Technology Centre (DMTC) to drive innovation in defence technology.

The new centre will commence operations this year and is a collaborative venture with industry.

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